Electric switch



M. P. MAXWELL AND J. S. LAWSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLlCATlON FILED JAN-4,1918.

. 1 9 3 5O 1 07 D Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

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M. P. MAXWELL AND J. S. LAWSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1918.

1,350, 107, Patented Aug. 17,1920;

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UNITED STATES PATENTFOFFICE.

MARSHALL IE. MAXWELL, OF BROOKLYN, AND JOEL S. LAWSON, OF ST. JAMES, NEW

YORK,.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17', 1920.

Be it known that we, MARSHALL P. MAX- wELL and JOEL S. LAWSON, bothcitizens of the United States of America, residing in the borough ofBrooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, and at St. James, LongIsland, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, respectively,have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric switches and particularly to switchesfor use in powerlines of heavy capacity, the object of our inventionbeing to provide an air gap switch capable of breaking a current of veryhigh voltage, and having a simple and eflicient operating mechanism anda general construction adapted to fulfil with efliciency the heavydemands placed upon the switch, while at the same time, maintaining thestructure fundamentally simple and free from easily disarrangedcomplications and also relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Inthe accompanying drawings, I Figure 1 IS a plan of aSWltClrlIlStfilltL- tion'in wh ch our invention is'embodied in 3 oneform;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through one of the switch contacts;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4,' Fig.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

In all switches for power lines in which the voltage is very high, it iscustomary to provide a three unit switch gang for the three phases ofthe circuit, and the present switch is of such type, the constructionfor each phase being identical. A single switch unit, therefore,sufiices to disclose the invention, and we have, for this reaso-n,omitted in Figs. 1 and 2 the two switches which cooperate with the oneillustrated.

Each switch is mounted upon a base bar 10 and is insulated-therefrom inany suitable manner,as by the three post insulators 11, 12, and 13.. Theline wire 14 for the unit here shown is secured at 15 to one of theswitch ,terminals, being gripped at 16 by a cable clamp engaging thestrain insulator 17 attached to the base bar 10 by a hook 18. The otherend of the cable 14 is secured at 19 to the other terminal of the switchand'passes therefrom to the links 20 and 21, the latter being jointed toa cable clamp '22, which engages the strain insulator 23 secured to thebase 10 by a hook 24.

The post insulator 13 is stationary and carries on its cap plate 25 thehousing 26 for the stationary switch terminal 27 The post insulator 12is also stationary and carries on its cap plate 28 a supporting guide 29UPOII WhICh recip'rocates the switch bar 30 carrying, at one end, themovable switch terminal 31-. 'The post insulator 11 rotates in asuitable bearing 32 on the base 10 and is engaged by a rotary 'stem 33which may be operated 1n any'suitablewayusually by a hand lever (notshown) at its lower end. To the cap plate 34 of the insulator is rigidlyattached the toggle lever arm 35, joint- {id at 36 to its cotiperatingarm 37, which in turn is jointed at38 to the sliding switch bar 30.

Upon rotation of the insulator 11, the toggle lever- 35+37 forces theswitch bar 30 in a straight line to the left and thus brings theterminal 31, carried thereby, into on gagement with the stationaryterminal 27, thereby establishing the circuit through the switch. As.the switch bar30 moves for- Ward, the link 20, jointed at 39 thereto, isdrawn forward thereby and continues to support the slack of the cablewell out of the way of the metallic parts on the base 10 Associated withthe switch terminals 27 and 31 are arcing horns 40 and 41. The

horn 41 is secured in permanentposition with relationto the contact 31',and is so positioned slightly in advance of the contact 31 as to protectthe latter from danger should and are form at the air gap on the openingof the switch. The horn 40 is slidably mounted upon the casing 26 of thetent of the outward movement of the horn under the action of the spring46. A cap 48 may be provided to house the end of the rod 14:. A hood d9may be carried by the horn all to protect the parts against sleet, snow,and rain.

In normal position, the horn d0 projects beyond the end of the switchterminal 27, so that the arc is broken between the base of the horns 10and 41, rather than between the contacts 27 and 31, on the opening ofthe switch. When the switch is. closed, the base of the horn e1 engagesthe base of the horn 410 and forces the latter to the left into theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 3,thus permitting the jack terminal .31 to seat itself deeply between thelegs of the cooperating terminal 27. I

In order to insure the break at the arcing horns, a latch 50 is pivotedat 51 to the foot -12 of the horn 4:0. The nose 52 of the latch islifted through its bearing on the cross pin 53 as thehorn moves to theleft, and is,

drawn up into engagement with the notch 520 in the lower face of thecontact 31, thus mechanically securing the contact and horn together. lVhen the switch is opened, the horn 10 is pulled out by this positiveengagement of the latch 50 on its foot piece with the contact 31, aswell as by the effort of the spring 16. At the moment the jack terminal31 leaves the terminal 27, the nose 52 of the latch is forced down outof enoperation of the three switches, we provide 7 a leverinterconnection, such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 5, for operating therotary insulators 11, 111, and 211 of the several switch units supportedupon the base bars 10, 111), and 210. As here shown, the stem carriesa'star plate 55 with four arms 56, 57,, 58, and 59. The stem of theinsulator 111 has fast therewith a spider, the arms 61 and 62 of whichare connected by links 63 and S4 with the star arms 56 and 57.Similarly, the stem (35 of the insulator 211 has a spider, the arms (36and 67'of which are connected by links 68 and 69 with the star arms 58and 59. The relation of the various arms and links is such that theparallelruler motion of the link pairs 636t, 6869 insures thesynchronous rotation of the insulators 11, 111, and 211. While generalsynchronism is attained through the linkage arrangement just described,the delicate final adjustment is made through the precise location ofthe stop nuts on the stems 4A. The

adjustment at this point permits the precise timing of the parting ofthe several pairs of horns in the switch group.

The construction as a whole is both simple and rugged. The reciprocationof the contact 31 affords the greatest possible break for a given are ofrotation of the insulator The rapid separation of the contacts tends topull out the are and thus increases the likelihood of breaking thelatter. operating lever connection is simple and efficient. The parts ofthe switch are readily made and are many of them of standard material.Accidental separation of the contacts is prevented by the latch 50,while the freeing of the latter after the initiation of the openingmovement of the switch, is positively insured, as is also the consequentbreak of the current between the arcing horns. These advantages willcommend themselves to those skilled in the. art, but we do not. limitourselves to the precise structure shown, which may be variouslymodified without departing from What We claim as our invention.

l/Ve claim: v I

1. An air gap switch for high. voltage lines, comprising a reciprocatingswitch bar, a rotary member and a toggle lever connection between thelatter and the switch bar for operating the latter, together withmeansassociated with said switch bar for supporting a slack portion of thewire cable out of proximity to the switch basein all positions of theswitch bar. 7

2. An air gap switch for high voltage lines, comprising a reciprocatingswitch bar, a rotary member and'a toggle lever connec tion between thelatter and the, switch bar for operating the latter, together withpivoted links associated with said switch bar for supporting a slackportion of the wire cable out of proximity to the switch base in allpositions of the switch bar.

3. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a slidable arcing hornassociated therewith and yielding means for maintainingsaid, hornsnormally in advance of'the. terminal in the off position of the, switch,but yieldably to permit said horn .to move to a position to the rear ofthe engagingv portion of the terminal when the switch is. in, onposition.

1. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal and an associated slidablearcing horn reciprocating from a position in advance of, to a positionto the rear of, the engaging portion of the terminal.

5. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal and an associated springpressed slidable arcing horn having a normal position in advance of theterminal in the off position The I of the switch, but movable to aposition to the rear of the engaging portion of the terminal when theswitch is in on position.

6. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movableterminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, andmeans extending between said mov able terminal and the arcing horn formechanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch.

7. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movableterminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, andmeans extending between said movable terminal and the arcing horn formechanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch,together with means for automatically establishing said connection asthe switch closes.

8. In an air'gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movableterminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, andmeans extending between said movable terminal and the arcing horn for mechanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch,together with means for automatically freeing said connection as theswitch opens.

9. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal having a movable arcing horn,a cooperating movable terminal and a latching device associated withsaid horn for locking the latter to the movable terminal in the closedposition of the switch.

10. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal having a movable arcing horn,a cooperating movable terminal and a latching device associated withsaid horn for locking the same to the movable terminal in the closedposition of the switch, but disengaging the movable terminal only towardthe end of the separating movement of the same, to insure the protectingposition of the horn when the switch is opened.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

MARSHALL P. MAXWELL. JOEL S. LAWSON.

